Alex de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin and Olivia Gadecki lead a powerful residence contingent set to shine at Australian Open 2025.
10 October 2024 | tennis.com.au
Australia’s males have loved a record-setting 12 months on the tour and are set to shine in entrance of their residence crowd at AO 2025.
Alex de Minaur leads the cost after a breakthrough 12 months that noticed him crack the highest 10 for the primary time.
“Alex is a real Aussie inspiration. He’s had an unbelievable 12 months, proven large resilience by way of damage and I’ve little doubt he’ll be prepared together with his trademark grit and willpower and produce all the things he has to the AO in January,” AO Event Director Craig Tiley stated.
Alexei Popyrin’s career-best win over Djokovic on the US Open was one of many highlights of 2024, and he now finds himself ranked inside the highest 25.
“Alexei’s victory over Novak was one for the ages. He’s been in unbelievable kind, and it’s thrilling to see him rise within the rankings,” Tiley stated.
“Jordan Thompson has performed his approach into the highest 30 and will see himself seeded at a Grand Slam for the primary time. It was nice to see him group up with Max Purcell to win the US Open doubles title they usually’ll be coming into the Aussie summer time in nice kind.
“The sheer depth of the Australian males is outstanding, with Chris O’Connell, James Duckworth, Rinky Hijikata, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Aleksander Vukic, and Adam Walton all within the prime 100 and making their mark. Having 10 males within the prime 100 – that’s the strongest we’ve been in a very long time, and the longer term seems to be vibrant.
“It’s been nice to listen to Nick Kyrgios touting his return to the courtroom, and that his coaching is on observe for the summer time. He brings an enormous sport and larger power to the AO – he’s actually an pleasure machine – and we are able to’t wait to see him again.”
Tiley can also be excited by the state of ladies’s tennis in Australia, with a number of younger Aussie stars making notable progress in 2024.
“Olivia Gadecki has powered into the highest 100 after reaching the ultimate in Guadalajara and is now Australia’s No.1 lady, and Ajla Tomljanovic joined her there after her latest WTA title in Hong Kong, and she or he continues to make a formidable comeback from damage.
“Promising younger abilities like 18-year-old Maya Joint, Talia Gibson, and Taylah Preston proceed to rise by way of the ranks, whereas it was additionally thrilling to see 16-year-old Emerson Jones hit the world No.1 junior rating – the primary Aussie lady to take action since Jelena Dokic in 1998 – and attain the junior ladies’ finals at each the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
“It’s been an incredible 12 months for Aussie tennis, we have now a strong group of established gamers together with some superb younger expertise coming by way of, and we’re excited to see what they’ll do in entrance of a house crowd.”
Australia’s success on the worldwide stage was not restricted to the singles courtroom.
“Matt Ebden and John Friends’ Olympic gold victory in Paris was a really particular second and I’d prefer to congratulate them each once more,” Tiley stated.
“All of us loved the emotion of their gorgeous, come-from-behind win, and the celebration with their households was unforgettable.
“Matt began the 12 months with the Australian Open doubles title, teaming with Rohan Bopanna. Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell reached the doubles remaining at Wimbledon, and it was incredible to see them go one higher in New York, successful the US Open … and with that win Jordan turned the seventh Australian to seize a Grand Slam males’s doubles title throughout the previous three years.”
Thompson’s Grand Slam breakthrough achieves an unbelievable 45-year milestone, marking the primary time since 1979 that seven totally different Australians gained a Grand Slam doubles title inside a three-year interval. *
The Australian Open will current one other Grand Slam first in 2025, with the introduction of qualifying for the wheelchair occasion.
Every wheelchair tennis division, males’s, girls’s and Quads, could have a four-player qualifying draw with two gamers progressing to the principle draw. The Junior Wheelchair Tennis Championship will make its debut at Australian Open 2025, marking a historic second within the match’s historical past.
Eight junior athletes will compete on this milestone occasion from 21 to 25 January, paving the best way for future generations in wheelchair tennis.
Queensland teenager Ben Wenzel made historical past on the US Open in September, changing into the primary Australian junior wheelchair participant in historical past to seize a Grand Slam title when he and his Dutch companion Ivar van Rijt have been topped the US Open 2024 boys’ wheelchair doubles champions.
*Australian Grand Slam males’s doubles champions since 2022
- Australian Open 2022 Thanasi Kokkinakis / Nick Kyrgios
- Wimbledon 2022 Matt Ebden / Max Purcell
- Australian Open 2023 Rinky Hijikata / Jason Kubler
- Australian Open 2024 Matt Ebden / Rohan Bopanna (IND)
- US Open 2024 Max Purcell / Jordan Thompson
